In respective homes, offices, etc., contracts for a maximum power have been made with electric power providers for covering consumed electric powers (electric power consumptions) which can instantaneously arise, and also electric power providers have been trying to prepare facilities for generating/transmitting electricity covering total amounts of consumed electric powers which can arise by respective contract units. However, in summer, for example, capabilities for providing electric powers are always in a critical situation. Since electric power providers avoid holding of excessive facilities, their capabilities for providing fluctuate in a situation slightly above demands. As a result, margins become very small during the peak of demand.
Even in this state, crisis of electric power can be avoided if restrictions (limitations) of provision are slightly conducted for respective homes, offices, etc., via smart meters. It is expected that new contract relations between electric power providers and contractors in the future are in the above-described form.
However, environments for living must be maintained even under such restrictions. That is, it is required to autonomously and dispersively (in a distributed manner) “manage” electric powers even under constraints of electric powers to respective homes, offices, etc. Electric power providers are not in charge of this portion.
If instantaneous arising of peak electric powers is avoided by “managing” electric powers in respective homes, offices, etc. to flatten the peak, the situation related to the above-described peaks of demands can be dramatically improved. In this regard, flattening is not taken into consideration in current utilizing of electric appliances etc. in respective homes, offices, etc. Except some dwelling units, electric power control in houses, office buildings, etc. has not been realized/made common yet.
In the following, related conventional arts will be briefly described.
JP H11-313438 A “Failure-Protection Device for Electric Power Distribution System”
The invention is of hardware-handling which blocks off the circuit corresponding to detection of breakdown with failure detection device. However, that is completely different in that in the present invention a group of devices collects information with a server via communications and dynamically manages electric powers with respect to electric power constraint and required amount in a cooperative manner in view of degrees of priorities.
JP 2001-69668 A “Electric Power Management Device”
The invention premises a format in which collecting/aggregating of information from a group of devices is not performed, but that is completely different in that in the present invention a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers with respect to electric power constraint and required amount in a cooperative manner in view of degrees of priorities.
JP 2013-38885 A “Home Generation of Electric Power System”
The invention refers to an electric power generation device. On the contrary, the present invention provides negative electric power.
JP 2012-85511 A “System for Charging Vehicles which has Control of Charging Efficiency and which Provides Adaptive Charging Service”
The invention does not perform electric power management in a group of charging stations, and it assumes existence of a management station and existence of a smart grid. That is completely different in that in the present invention, regardless of existence of a management station and a smart grid, dynamic management of electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner is performed.
JP 2009-94768 A “Power Line Communication Devices and Method for Automatic Registration of Power Line Communication Devices”
The invention relates to a method for establishing a connection in power line communication. The present invention does not specify communication formats, and does not asserts that establishment of communication should be solved. In addition, the present invention cites power line communication as one of communication means, but does not cites establishment of connection there as a problem to be solved.
JP 2004-208393 A “Multi Output Circuit Device Enabling Setting of Prioritized Order of Electric Power Source Supply”
The invention detects excess of total load electric current, and it assumes disconnection of the loads in the set order. The present invention performs excess of the loads via collecting of information in a group of devices, and it does not require a particular detection means. In addition, it is characterized in that the order of disconnecting the loads is not set in advance, but determined by dynamic judgment in the group of devices.
JP 2003-511842 A “Contactor Breaker”
In the invention, failure detection and control based on the same are performed in a same one. That is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2013-70569 A “Dispersive Type Electric Power Source System”
In the invention, breakdown detection and control are performed in a same one. However, it is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2011-234561 A “Intelligent Electric Power Distribution Board, Electric Power Distribution Device, System Against Electric Power Failure and Method for Electric Power Distribution”
In the invention, detection of electric power failure, subsequent connection switching to a backup electric power source and inverse operations after recovering from the electric power failure are performed in a same one. It is completely different in that, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2010-148125 A “System for Remote Acquisition of Electric Energy Consumption Including that for Home and Remote Control of Distributed Target Users”
The invention premises a centralized management via a communication structure as a center server, concentrator, and a meter, but that is completely different in that the present invention originates from a structure in which a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner, independently in dispersed local groups.
JP 2005-513900 A “System for Remote Acquisition of Electric Energy Consumption Including that for Home and Remote Control of Distributed Target Users”
The invention premises a centralized management via a communication structure as a center server, concentrator, and a meter, but that is completely different in that the present invention originates from a structure in which a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner, independently in dispersed local groups.
JP H09-93820 A “Solar Photovoltaic Electric Power Generation Device”
The invention only describes communication means and block-off means. It is completely different in that, in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP H10-42481 A “Electric Power Source Control Device for Vehicles”
Electric power source block-off device according to the invention premises configuration of a centralized management making a tree or star system around there. That is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2000-16200 A “Electric Power Source Control Device for Vehicles”
Electric power source block-off device according to the invention premises configuration of a centralized management making a tree or star system around there. That is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2005-178778 A “Electric Power Source Terminal Device for Vehicles and Electric Power Supply System for Vehicles”
Electric power source block-off device according to the invention premises configuration of a centralized management making a tree or star system around there. That is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2004-348411 A “Disperse Type Electric Power Reception/Distribution Equipment Integrated with Central Monitor Control System”
The invention premises existence of a central monitor control system. That is completely different in that in the present invention, a group of devices dynamically manages electric powers in view of electric power constraint, required amount and degrees of priorities in a cooperative manner.
JP 2012-161202 A “Hierarchical Type Demand/Supply Control Device and Electric Power Structure Control System”
In the invention, a hierarchy is constructed but a centralized monitor control system aggregating information is made. It is completely different in that there is not the point where aggregation of information and control in a group are performed dispersively and independently from other groups, hierarchies as an embodiment of the present invention.
JP 2010-279238 A “System for Monitoring and Controlling a Structure”
A hierarchy is constructed in the invention, but it is completely different in that there is not the point where aggregation of information and control in a group are performed dispersively and independently from other groups, classes as an embodiment of the present invention.
JP 2002-27686 A “Consumed Electric Power Control Method for Devices in a Store”
Keywords “hierarchy”, “disperse” are present as the name in the invention, but the contents are qualitatively different and it is completely different from the present invention, as described below by an extraction of the specification: (Extraction from JP 2002-27686 A)
“In addition, respective controllers constitute an autonomous and dispersive system, and even if one controller as a subsystem becomes inactive, there is not any trouble in other controllers controlling devices under their own administration (This is called capability of autonomous control). And, respective controllers can coordinate their purposes among them each other (This is called capability of autonomous coordination). Because of this, there is not distinction of master/slave or difference in importance among the respective controllers, and they basically can perform management and control with their own resources.”
“Autonomous and dispersive” control according to the invention is, as in FIG. 2 of the specification, independency among kinds of controllers such as an illumination and an air conditioner, and it is not indicated that arrangements of electric powers among air conditioners, among illuminations, under a controller are autonomously performed. An embodiment of the present invention has a first feature in that dynamic arrangement of electric powers in view of degrees of priorities of those under members are performed independently from other groups and classes. Even though their titles are similar in as “autonomous and dispersive”, their methods are completely different. In addition, “class” in the invention indicates a class in an operation mode as time zones, cooperative energy savings and peaks. However, classes according to one embodiment of the present invention are, when applied to the invention, classes constituted from groups of which members are stores, or classes constituted from groups of which members are servers representing regional stores and the like. Even though their name is “hierarchy”, their definitions are different in a fundamental way. One embodiment of the present invention has a first feature again in which, in any class of them, electric powers arrangement is dynamically performed independently from other groups or classes in view of degrees of priorities among groups, and the method is completely different.
JP H11-45101 A “Monitor Control System”
Hierarchy, dispersive monitor control according to the invention is based on decentralization as execution part, information exchange part and interface part. That is different in a fundamental way from one like an embodiment of the present invention which provides a method for dynamically determining electric powers arrangement in respective classes of which constituent members are groups or in respective groups of which constituent members are devices in accordance with degrees of priorities among the members under given electric power constraints.
JP H07-308036 A “Monitoring Method for Electric Power Distribution System, Controlling Method of Electric Power Distribution System and those Devices”
Monitoring and control according to the invention do not perform autonomous control among constituent members. That is different in a fundamental way from one like an embodiment of the present invention which provides a method for dynamically determining electric powers arrangement in respective classes of which constituent members are groups or in respective groups of which constituent members are devices in accordance with degrees of priorities among the members under given electric power constraints.
JP H07-31013 A “Indoor Electricity Line System” The invention merely provides means for lighting emergency lights.
JP 2008-90607 A “Autonomous Dispersive Type Control with Constraints of Resources”
Dispersion according to the invention indicates that a server is not specified, but the present invention teaches, not by a global control in block, but in subdivided units, controlling for enabling local and flexible measures. In the present invention, a server can be specified or it can be fixed.
The invention suggests a particular way for causing to perform process of determining measure/will, but in the present invention, it is necessary only to define a server in any way, and there is no limitation of ways of dynamically allocating the process. It does not have to be of card game type, and it does not specially require “shift” of a server function. The server function can even be shifted in an order of serial numbers or can be fixed.
The invention aims to maintain/accomplish performance by inputting resources, but an embodiment of the present invention does not input electric power as resource but permanently or intermittently blocks off electric power. In the present patent, permanent or intermittent block off of electric power is performed in view of required electric power amount and constraint to electric power amount based on degrees of priorities when consumed electric power is in excess of the permitted value or the target value instead of control in which electric power supply as total resources is inputted at a maximum. In that patent, the inputted electric power as resources is determined on the control side and thus it is known in advance, while in the present invention it is information to be measured and obtained.
That is, the purpose of that invention is exercising “controlling functions to accomplish/maintain the performance of the system as a whole”, and is “a method for controlling individual performances of all the elements while meeting the constraint of the total resources (total sum of resources)” (claim 1 in that publication). However, in one embodiment of the present invention, it is aimed to prevent damages to the system by positively sacrificing accomplishment/maintenance of the performance though there are constraints to the total sum of the resources.
JP2013-38470 A “Controlling Device and Controlling System for Electric Devices”
(1) In that publication, constraints to electric power as resources are not taken into consideration, and solutions meeting those constraints are not ensured. Only certain actions which are configured in advance are taken in a feed-forward manner. In this regard, “configuration” in the description of claim scope in that publication indicates preliminary definition.
The present invention is completely different from the invention described in that publication in that the present invention explicitly deals with constraint to resources and ensures actions meeting it.
(2) Actions suggested in that publication are actions of command by so-called bulk transmission part, but the present invention is completely different from the invention described in that publication in that the present invention suggests a method for determining a solution of optimization under constraint conditions by cooperation of after-mentioned “broadcast” transmission process and parallel processes in respective elements.(3) The present invention is completely different from the invention described in that publication in that the present invention characteristically enables to obtain a solution of optimization under constraint conditions regardless of dynamically changing of degrees of priorities in respective elements.
JP 2011-242030 A “Device for Controlling Air Conditioner”
JP 2010-19530 A “Air Conditioning System and Method for Adjusting Communications Traffic”
JP 2009-272966 A “System for Managing Devices and Equipments”
JP 2007-240084 A “Air Conditioner and Method for Setting Addresses in Air Conditioner”
JP 2007-228234 A “Transmission Controlling Device, System for Managing Devices and Method for Controlling Transmission”
JP 2004-328184 A “Management and Control System, Information Transmission Method, Communication Method, Network Node, Sending and Receiving Device, Information sharing Device, Air Conditioner and Centralized Controlling Device”
Those publications merely refer to communication address-related portions and do not deal with controlling measures.
Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-12924 “Power Management Method and System”
That invention suggests optimization with degrees of priorities in case of constraints to total resources and a power management system enabling it. However, they take steps of information-collecting from respective clients of a server, determining of allocated amounts by the server, and informing the respective clients of the allocated amounts from the server, and they merely hold out the problem itself to be solved by the present invention.
The present invention tries to accelerate processes by sharing among an alert element and respective member elements.
In this regard, the above application disclosing inventions by the inventor of the present invention has not been published yet at the time of filing of this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,504,214 B specification “Self-healing power grid and method thereof” The disclosure of that publication is not related to a method for allocating electric power.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,002 B specification “Power delivery in a heterogeneous 3-D stacked apparatus”
The publication deals with power source functions, but it does not deal with dynamic allocation of electric powers to members.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,112,642 B specification “Method and system for controlling power in a chip through a power-performance monitor and control unit
U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,601 B specification “Method and system for controlling power in a chip through a power-performance monitor and control unit”
Those publications are related to microprocessor power sources, and they are not related to functions for performing dynamic and autonomous electric power allocations.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,805,621 B specification “Method and apparatus for providing a bus interface with power management features”
That publication discloses transition of electric power modes and does not deal with functions of determining dynamic allocation among members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,641 B specification “Intra-device communications architecture for managing electrical power distribution and consumption”
The disclosure of that publication is about an architecture in which intelligent devices and servers are connected by a network at most. It does not disclose how electric power management is actually performed. The present invention particularly provides measures for allocating electric powers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,130 B specification “Circuit board for the control and/or power supply of electrical function devices of a vehicle”
That publication requests to make a circuit as a modular shape at most.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,508,540 B specification “Resonant induction to power a graphics processing unit”
The disclosure of that publication is related to hardware supplying electric power by induction and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,466,760 B specification “Configurable power, supply using MEMS switch”
The disclosure of that publication is related to hardware of switches produced with MEMS of dual substrate, and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,970,374 B specification “Multi-wideband communications over power lines”
The disclosure of that publication is related to transmission media, but the present invention is not dependent on a particular medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,825,325 B specification “Portable lighting and power-generating system”
The disclosure of that document is related to a particular device, and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,755,111 B specification “Programmable power management using a nanotube structure”
The disclosure of that publication is related to a device using a nanotube, and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,218 B specification “Method and system for generating of power using stirling engine principles”
The disclosure of that publication is related to hardware as stirling engine and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,269 B specification “Microwave phase shifter having an active layer under the phase shifting line and power amplifier using such a phase shifter”
The disclosure of that publication is related to hardware as phase adjuster in communication devices and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,439 B specification “Distributed parallel semiconductor device spaced for improved thermal distribution and having reduced power dissipation”
The disclosure of that publication is related to semiconductor arrangement and thermal dissipation, and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,718 B specification “Proton exchange membrane fuel cell power system”
The disclosure of that publication is related to hardware as fuel battery and is completely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,774 B specification “Solar canopy and solar augmented wind power station”
The disclosure of that publication is related to device for photovoltaic power generation and is completely different from the present invention.
“TMC NEWS Hitachi Offers Connected Air Conditioners with Yitran's IT800 Power Line Communication Chip” Internet <URL: http://technews.tmcnet.com/ivr/news/2005/sep/1186941.htm> or <URL: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050927005472/en/Hitachi-Offers-Connected-Air-Conditioners-Yitrans-IT800#.UtzSc3xKOSM>
In the above web site, an example in which communication devices is provided to home electrical appliances is disclosed. However, the present invention characteristically performs independent distributed control without communication or centralized control. The technical details of those inventions are completely different.
“Smart Home”, Internet <URL: http://japan.renesas.com/event/detail/et2011/report/s_home/index.jsp>
In the above web site, an example in which devices are disconnected under predetermined degrees of priorities is disclosed. When comparing to the present invention, they are different at least in the following points.
(1) In the example disclosed in the above website, controlling is performed in units of sockets, while the present invention is in units of devices and does not restrict the place of using.
(2) In the example disclosed in the above website, it is configured to perform permanent disconnection, but the present invention enables, not only permanent disconnection, but also continuous electric power reduction.
(3) In the example disclosed in the above website, static configuration of degrees of priorities are performed in units of sockets, but the present invention enables dynamic configuration of degrees of priorities in units of devices.
(4) The present invention has structures in which consumed electric power allocation is dynamically determined in groups, independent controls are performed among groups, classes are configured, and consumed electric power allocations are similarly and dynamically determined also in upper classes.